Duke Energy Site Readiness Program a win for economic development, jobs in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy has selected six properties in North Carolina for participation in its 2020 Site Readiness Program to enhance the readiness of the sites for business and industrial development.

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The Site Readiness Program has helped prepare properties that have won 23 major projects in North Carolina since the program started in 2005, resulting in more than 5,650 new jobs and nearly $6.4 billion in capital investment.

Through the program, Duke Energy identifies high-potential sites and partners with county officials and local economic development professionals to develop a strategy for getting the site fully ready to market to industrial projects.

"Our Site Readiness Program has been highly successful and a valuable tool for our partners and communities across the Carolinas," said Stu Heishman, Duke Energy's vice president of economic development and business recruitment. "Our team works with local and regional partners to develop a strategy to advance the readiness of selected sites and recruit national companies to the Carolinas. We have strong relationships with our state and local partners, and leverage the expertise of nationally recognized consultants to maximize the impact of the program."

The locations include:

    --  Burke County: The Hickory Airport Industrial Site offers a unique
        opportunity for any company that needs direct access to a commercial
        airport. The airport offers a runway that will soon exceed 7,000 feet
        and has all the amenities needed to handle commercial air travel. The
        site itself is more than 150 acres (with land inside the airport fence
        and immediately adjacent to the airport), has an abundance of
        infrastructure capacity already in-place and can handle multiple
        structures to meet most industrial needs. The site has direct access to
        U.S. 321 and is located within 4 miles of Interstate 40.
    --  Catawba County: The SE Catawba County Business Park is a 55-acre site
        located just off of N.C. 16 and N.C. 150 in Catawba County. The park is
        30 minutes from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, making it
        ideal for development as a corporate headquarters location, a light
        manufacturing facility, a research and development center or a mixed-use
        residential and commercial development. Electrical, water and sewer
        infrastructure are available at the site with natural gas lines within
        2,000 feet.


    --  Edgecombe County: The 76-acre Bulluck Tract South Site is located an
        hour east of Research Triangle Park and the Raleigh-Durham International
        Airport, and just minutes from Interstate 95. Within an easy 2-hour
        drive from ports in both Norfolk, Va., and Wilmington, the site features
        more than half of a mile of CSX mainline rail frontage, is adjacent to
        the CSX Rocky Mount Terminal and is less than 10 miles from the new CSX
        Carolina Connector Intermodal Terminal. With abundant utilities in
        place, including Duke Energy Progress distribution and transmission
        lines on site, the site is ideal for industrial manufacturing and
        distribution. "The Duke Energy Site Readiness Program has been a great
        asset to Edgecombe County's economic development efforts. The program
        assembled expertise from the site selection, civil engineering, utility,
        economic development and landowner groups all for the purpose of
        advancing a common economic growth vision. We are extremely thankful for
        the support of Duke Energy and their commitment to proactive community
        engagement." - Oppie Jordan, Director, Vice President, Edgecombe County
        Carolinas Gateway Partnership
    --  Granville County: The Century 21 Site is a 194-acre tract located off
        Interstate 85 near Oxford. The site has excellent frontage on I-85 and
        offers excellent access to the interstate. It is located within a
        45-minute drive of the Research Triangle Park and the Raleigh-Durham
        International Airport.
    --  Lee County: The Lee Brick Site is a 321-acre tract in Sanford. The site
        features rail frontage on Norfolk Southern Railroad track and offers
        good access to U.S. 1. It is located within a 45-minute drive of the
        Research Triangle Park and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
        Sanford is also centrally located between Raleigh, Durham and
        Fayetteville.


    --  Nash County: The 142-acre N.C. Highway 97 Industrial Site located on
        Interstate 95 is an ideal location for advanced manufacturing, food
        processing and logistics companies. The county-owned N.C. Highway 97
        site is strategically positioned on the Eastern Seaboard between New
        York and Miami with accessibility to major markets and supply chains.
        Nash County's N.C. Tier 1 ranking designates the N.C. Highway 97 site as
        a high priority location for state incentives. The site is in a Foreign
        Trade Zone and provides convenient access to three sea ports, Carolina
        Connector-CSX intermodal rail terminal, regional airport and
        Raleigh-Durham International Airport. "The acceptance of our N.C.
        Highway 97 site into the Duke Energy Site Readiness Program helps
        distinguish Nash County sites as shovel ready thanks to the program's
        ensuring due diligence and quality. Nash County now has two Duke Energy
        site readiness properties for companies who are looking for their next
        premier business location." - Andy Hagy, Director, Nash County
        Department of Economic Development

Duke Energy worked with major site selection firms to evaluate the sites, including Global Location Strategies (GLS), Strategic Development Group and Site Selection Group. Based on consultant recommendations, Duke Energy will collaborate with county leaders and local economic development professionals to develop an improved strategy for marketing these sites. Additionally, each site is eligible to apply for a $10,000 matching grant from Duke Energy to help prepare it to attract projects.

After each site's state of readiness has advanced, Duke Energy's business recruitment team strategically markets each of them nationwide to companies looking to expand or relocate their operations.

Duke Energy's economic development efforts are perennially recognized by Site Selection magazine in the publication's annual list of "Top Utilities in Economic Development." Through these efforts, Duke Energy helped recruit $3.3 billion in capital investment in North Carolina and more than 4,200 jobs for the state in 2019.

For more information about Duke Energy's economic development programs, visit http://locationdukeenergy.com.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 29,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities and 2,300 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.

Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve 7.8 million retail electric customers in six states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to 1.6 million customers in five states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Duke Energy media line:
800.559.3853

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SOURCE Duke Energy